Robinson Helicopters announces that the Republic of Kazakhstan has acquired one of the company’s helicopters for law enforcement use. Kazakhstan’s Internal Affairs Ministry has deployed a new Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter to support its police force in the capital city of Astana.

In a ceremony, Astana’s mayor, Askar Mamin, presented Major General Dozumov, head of the Internal Affairs Department of Astana, with the keys to the blue-trimmed white helicopter.

Astana’s R44 Raven II came with standard equipment as well as a dual audio controller, police radios, and a public address system and siren.For more information, click here, and insert number 201 in the box on the Reader Service Number response service.

Minnesota Police Department Partners with SunGuard HTE

SunGard HTE announces that the Edina, Minnesota, Police Department signed a contract for the OSSI Public Safety Suite, which includes applications for computer-aided dispatch (CAD), records management system (RMS), mobile computing technology (MCT), mobile field reporting (MFR), and Internet technology (INT).

The OSSI Public Safety Suite is designed to help police agencies share information across the communications center, the patrol unit, and the crime investigation division. With ready access to data, Edina expects to be able to shorten response times, solve cases more quickly, and help reduce crime while increasing officer safety. The software is designed to put critical information at the fingertips of Edina police officers and help them stay connected with the city’s employees, businesses, and residents.For more information, click here, and insert number 202 in the box on the Reader Service Number response service.

Florida Agencies Rely on M/A-COM Radio System at Super Bowl XLI

Tyco Electronics’ M/A-COM business announces that public safety agencies deployed its VIDA technology to enhance and extend interoperable communications before, during, and after Super Bowl XLI, played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, last month. M/A-COM worked closely with its Miami-based service partner, Cooper-General, to deploy the VIDA network solution.

Agencies that used the system to provide security for the game included the Miami-Dade Police Department, other local agencies in the Miami-Dade area, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Miami-Dade Fire Department, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Broward County Sheriff’s Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). M/A-COM and Cooper General worked with Miami-Dade County’s Enterprise Technology Services Department (ETSD) to deploy the enhanced VIDA system.

“The safety of the hundreds of thousands of fans and visitors who came to the Miami area for the Super Bowl was the chief concern for all of the law enforcement officials present, and the ability of these agencies to easily communicate with each other whenever necessary was a huge boost in our efforts to ensure the public’s safety,” said Sergeant Robert Sisley of Miami-Dade Police Department. “It was reassuring for all of us at the Miami-Dade Police Department to know that we could connect with other law enforcement officials instantly to work together to keep this year’s Super Bowl safe for all participants.”

The M/A-COM VIDA network platform is designed to be a cost-effective interoperable radio system that supports P25 and other Internet Protocol–based systems. It is engineered to provide a full IP management platform, including IP consoles, networking technology for both the P25 phase I and P25 phase II standards, and interoperability without intervention of console operators.

The VIDA platform also provided interoperable communications with state law enforcement agencies throughout Florida using Florida’s Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS), a radio system deployed and maintained by M/A-COM for public safety and public service users throughout the state. ■For more information, click here, and insert number 203 in the box on the Reader Service Number response service.

From The Police Chief, vol. 74, no. 3, March 2007. Copyright held by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 515 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA.

The official publication of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
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